If there’s one genre that’s more played out than the mob movie, it’s the hitman picture. But can being based on a real-life tale give a film a little added edge when it falls into both categories? That’s what the makers of “The Iceman” are hoping, and a stellar cast, led by Oscar-nominee Michael Shannon, and a premiere at the Venice Film Festival, out of competition, are certainly boding well. And a few new images from the film have arrived on the website for TIFF, where it’ll head after the Lido. Official synopsis is as follows:

The film comes from relatively inexperienced Israeli-born director Ariel Vroman, but that cast is promising, and there’s a nice sense of period style coming across. If nothing else, fans of interesting facial hair will be delighted. We’ll find out how the film plays when it premieres in Venice in a few short weeks. “The Iceman” doesn’t yet have a release date, but the film will be seeking a distributor on the festival circuit.